DENVER – MSU Denver will seek to stay sharp this weekend as both the men's and women's tennis teams will play duals at Colorado College on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
"The kids are working super hard, and we still want to have good runs at the (Pacific West) conference tournament," MSU Denver coach Bruno Campos said. "So we're taking this match very seriously. The goal, obviously, is to win, but it's also another opportunity for us to get better."
 
The MSU Denver men are coming off a huge victory at Point Loma (Calif.) that capped a six-dual road trip through California. Point Loma is ranked fourth in the initial Pacific West Conference rankings of the season and has a win over third-ranked Concordia-Irvine (Calif.) on its resume.
 
"That was needed," Campos said. "I've kept telling them that we keep knocking on the door and that at some point it'll be wide open for us. The season hasn't been easy – we've had a lot of losses – but we still have a chance to click at the right time.
 
"That win gives us some extra confidence moving forward."
 
Campos made a lineup switch last week, moving long-time No. 3 singles player Alejandro Jimenez to No. 1, and Jimenez responded by beating a nationally-ranked opponent from Point Loma.
 
"The sky is the limit for Alejandro," Campos said. "He's still a junior and he keeps getting better. He's not afraid of making mistakes, and every day he come with a positive mindset and is always willing to stay after practice and hi extra shots.
 
"Next year he's going to play a huge role for us, and he needs to gain the experience of playing at No. 1. It's a different game, played at a different pace."
 
Despite the big win over Point Loma, MSU Denver is still ranked just eighth in the PacWest based on its body of work over the season. It has potentially huge duals on the horizon, too, against Colorado Mesa at home on April 5 and on the road April 13.
 
Colorado Mesa is ranked ninth in the PacWest and it stands to reason that MSU Denver will have to win one against Mesa – if not both – to secure the eighth and final spot in the PacWest Tournament field.
 
The Roadrunners' women are in a little better position to qualify, ranked ninth in what will eventually be a field of 12 for the PacWest Tournament.
 
In addition to the duals with 11^th-ranked Colorado Mesa, MSU Denver will also play host to 12^th-ranked Stanislaus State (Calif.) on April 3. A win or two in those three duals should at least secure a spot in the PacWest Tournament, but the Roadrunners have some opportunity to improve their seeding by winning all three.
 
"The men and women have set goals for the rest of the season," Campos said. "The men want to win at least four of their last five (exhibition duals against Oral Roberts and Illinois State are also scheduled) and the women want to win at least five of the last six (including a regular-season dual with CSU Pueblo and an exhibition with Oral Roberts). Hopefully we can get it done."